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The Hand of God poster

Movies that feel likeThe Hand of God (2021)

In 1980s Naples, an awkward teen struggling to find his place experiences heartbreak and liberation after he's inadvertently saved from a freak accident by football legend Diego Maradona.

If you loved The Hand of God, the closest films we have are How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024), Leave No Trace (2018) and Biutiful (2010). All three share The Hand of God's contemplative and wistful feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is House of Hummingbird (2019).

πŸ… 83% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Paolo Sorrentinocontemplativewistful
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If The Hand of God hit the spot, these will too

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies poster
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
2024 Β· dir. Pat Boonnitipat
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.9dramaNetflix

Both are working the same pair: family relationships, growing up

M, a university dropout low on money and luck, volunteers to take care of his terminally ill grandmother, in the hope of pocketing an inheritance.

Leave No Trace poster
Leave No Trace
2018 Β· dir. Debra Granik
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.1drama

One thread runs through both: growing up

A father and daughter live a perfect but mysterious existence in Forest Park, a beautiful nature reserve near Portland, Oregon, rarely making contact with the world. But when a small mistake tips them off to authorities, they are sent on an increasingly erratic journey in search of a place to call their own.

Biutiful poster
Biutiful
2010 Β· dir. Alejandro G. IΓ±Γ‘rritu
πŸ… 66%β˜… 7.4dramaNetflix

Contemplative and wistful in the same breath

This is a story of a man in free fall. On the road to redemption, darkness lights his way. Connected with the afterlife, Uxbal is a tragic hero and father of two who's sensing the danger of death. He struggles with a tainted reality and a fate that works against him in order to forgive, for love, and forever.

The Fabelmans poster
The Fabelmans
2022 Β· dir. Steven Spielberg
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.5dramaPeacock

Common ground in both: teenage boy and semi autobiographical

Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.

The Straight Story poster
The Straight Story
1999 Β· dir. David Lynch
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8dramaDisney+

Common ground: family relationships

The difference: 22 years apart, and the 1990s show

Retired farmer and widower Alvin Straight learns one day that his estranged brother Lyle has suffered a severe stroke. Alvin is determined to make things right with Lyle while he still can, but his brother lives in Wisconsin, while Alvin is stuck in Iowa with no car and no driver's license. He then has the idea of making the trip on his old lawnmower, thus beginning a picturesque and at times deeply spiritual odyssey.

Malena poster
Malena
2000 Β· dir. Giuseppe Tornatore
πŸ… 54%β˜… 7.4drama

Drama built on stillness, twice over

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

12-year-old Renato experiences three significant events on the same day: the beginning of the Second World War, getting a bike, and witnessing the arrival of the gorgeous Malèna. Through his eyes, we see the curse of beauty and loneliness of Malena, whose husband is presumed dead, and, through his soul, we see his love for her.

House of Hummingbird poster
House of Hummingbird
2019 Β· dir. Kim Bora
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.4dramaPrime Video

Drama with a pulse of wistfulness, in both cases

14-year-old Eun-hee moves through life like a hummingbird searching for a taste of sweetness wherever she may find it. Ignored by her parents and abused by her brother, she finds her escape by roaming the neighborhood with her best friend, going on adventures, and exploring young love.

The 400 Blows poster
The 400 Blows
1959 Β· dir. FranΓ§ois Truffaut
πŸ… 99%β˜… 8dramaMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: semi autobiographical

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

Rebel Without a Cause poster
Rebel Without a Cause
1955 Β· dir. Nicholas Ray
πŸ… 91%β˜… 7.6drama

Contemplative drama in both cases

After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid's real troubles begin.

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle poster
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
2018 Β· dir. Andy Serkis
πŸ… 51%β˜… 6.5adventure Β· dramaNetflix

Both work the same wistfulness

The difference: Sits closer to adventure than The Hand of God does

A human child raised by wolves, must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins.

The Florida Project poster
The Florida Project
2017 Β· dir. Sean Baker
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6drama

Drama approached the same way

The story of a precocious six year-old and her ragtag group of friends whose summer break is filled with childhood wonder, possibility and a sense of adventure while the adults around them struggle with hard times.

Aftersun poster
Aftersun
2022 Β· dir. Charlotte Wells
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6dramaRent or buy

Drama of the same temperament

Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories fill the gaps between camcorder footages as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the troubled man she didn't.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share The Hand of God’s defining feeling.